Roman Vlasov wins 75kg Greco-Roman wrestling for second gold medal

Russian wrestler Roman Vlasov has won his second Olympic gold medal, defeating Mark Madsen of Denmark in the final round of the 75kg Greco-Roman wrestling tournament.

Starting on top in the par terre position midway through the first period of their Gold Medal Match, Vlasov was able to lift Madsen up and slam him to the ground to score four points. He picked up another point in the next period after Madsen's corner unsuccessfully challenged a call. After giving up a point for passivity late in the match, Vlasov took a 5-1 victory.

It was a gritty effort for Vlasov, who briefly passed out from a chokehold during his semifinal match and could be seen bleeding from a cut above his left eye at various points throughout the day.

At the London Games, Vlasov earned gold in the comparable 74kg division. He also won a world title in 2015 and entered Rio ranked as the world No. 1 in the 75kg weight class.

Russia was the strongest country in wrestling at the London Games four years ago and is expected to lead the medal count again this year.

"Despite of the situation, the unfair decision of our athletes from the side of WADA, it's very important to get the biggest quantity of medals that we can," Vlasov said, according to the Associated Press.

By making it to the final round, Madsen, 31, secured Denmark's first medal in wrestling since 1948. Had Madsen not earned silver, the Danes would have had to wait at least four more years, as the three-time Olympian is the country's only wrestler competing at the Olympics this year.

South Korea's Kim Hyeon-Woo, a 2012 gold medalist at 66kg, earned one of the two bronze medals. Kim drew Vlasov in the opening round of competition, setting up a rare meeting between two reigning Olympic champions. Although Kim lost the match, he was pulled into the repechage by virtue of Vlasov making it to the finals. Kim battled back to win the repechage and then the Bronze Medal Match to secure his second Olympic medal.

The other bronze medal went to Iran's Saeid Abdvali. It's just the sixth ever Olympic medal in Greco-Roman for Iran, one of the world's biggest wrestling powers.

Andy Bisek, a two-time bronze medalist at the world championships, was considered the best shot at a medal for the U.S. Greco-Roman team, but he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.